Sheryl

General Terms and Conditions apply to all insured persons and if nothing else is specified in your policy, these are the full extent of the limitations for you. reading it, the main limitations appear to be: 1. Only "urgent" medical care is covered. This is typical or travel policies. Necessary but elective surgeries etc would not be covered, neither would routine care. If you are in fact just visiting Thailand this may be fine but if actually living here, would not be equivalent to full health cover. 2. Exclusion for " events which are in any way connected with the insured’s conscious self-inflicted injuries or disease, reckless behaviour, abuse of alcoholor drugs or other prohibited substances, or with self-exposure to unnecessary risk (except in case of trying to save a human life)," " claims related to consequences of excessive consumption of alcohol, drug abuse, etc" and " driving motor vehicles without holding appropriate official permits". These too are standard travel insurance policy clauses. (Also excludes injury from diving, downhill cycling, competitive racing and other "extreme" sports. This too is usual). I find the wording about chronic diseases (which would include your pre-existing hypertension) confusing as in Article 6 it states "Urgent Medical Treatment, transportation, medication and any other costs in relation to acute deteriorations of Chronic Illnesses are covered up to the specific limit stated in the insurance cover chart." but in Article 8, Special Exclusions, it lists "deterioration of Pre-existing Medical Conditions" as an exclusion. I suggest you email them specifically equesting clarification on this point, it is important. A stroke or heart failure could be considered a deterioriation of your chronic hypertension. Regarding accidents, in Article 6 it states "Costs of Urgent Medical Care and doctor’s visit due to an injury or illness of the Insured are covered" but makes no specific mention of hospitalization. In Section 5 it states "if the Insured is admitted to hospital as an in-patient for more than 48 hours as a result of an accident while staying abroad, we will pay to the amount stated in the schedule for each day of hospitalisation (from the 3rd day inclusive) up to a maximum of 10 days" only if you take out the additional Accident Extension cioverage. I think, but am not 100% certain, that this is referring to a daily payment separate from actual hospital charges (hence kicking in only from day 3 onward; it would be intended to compensate for other incidental costs incurred due to prolonged hospitalization). @Etaoin Shrdlu do you read it same way?

Moved to the correct forum as nothing Bangkok-specific about this. I have SS direct deposit coming in to my Thai bank account (Kasikorn). Payment originates at Federal Reserve Bank in NY, passes to Citibank Thailand and from there is an internal BahtNet transfer to my bank. Frankly never looked at exchange rate before. Looking at it now, there is an exchange rate shown on the Credit Advice which is lower than indicated per https://www.oanda.com/currency-converter/en For example, on 3 February exchange rate applied was 33.7. Should have been 34.4 or 34.5 depending on whether it was "buy" or "sell" USD which in turn I assume depends on where the conversion was done (?) I cannot tell where the currency conversion took place - Federal Reserve Bank or Citibank Thailand. I also cannot really tell how to compare Citibank Thailand exchange rates to what is listed on oanda as it has three categories: telegraphic transfer, cash and "on demand". https://www.citibank.co.th/THGCB/COA/frx/prefxratinq/flow.action

Yes. Correct.

Yes Malaysia is good idea. Thai private hospitals are usually around 22-32k baht. Government hospitals are much less but red tape, wait lists and language barriers make them not very feasible for short term visitors. They don't usually do colonoscopy (which is what he means) under local. Use IV sedation.

No, insurance will not cover it Symptomatic improvement is really what matters

I do not know of any place that lets you tailor what foods you want to test for And I still don't understand why you would want such a test given that already tested. How/why would you "have lowered/knocked some of them off the trigger list"??? The trigger list is based on a blood test and does not necessarily reflect what you have been eating. (Hence things you never eat, making it onto the list). Not eating something on the list will not remove it from the list, if in fact you are sensitive to it (I have no idea about the validity of the testing done). And surely all that matters is whether your symptoms, whatever they are, improve?

I think he simply misunderstood the terminology used. He was told that chemo and radiation were alternatives to surgery and mistakenly thought that meant they were one and the same thing. Aside from chemotherapy, other medications (e.g. hormone blockers) are also a possible treatment for prostate cancer and do not involve cytoxic agents. Actually cytotoxic chemotherapy would not be used in localized prostate cancer. but hormone blockers could be...either on their own or in combination with other measures.

I count only 17 in the red category, and some of them (e.g. winkles) I really doubt you would anyway often eat. List does not indicate you have to eliminate all dairy; goat's milk is borderline rather than high, and yogurt -- which many people intolerant of cows milk can safely consume - is not listed. Wheat (which does not necessarily mean gluten) is also in the borderline category, not the red group. I would suggest you completely eliminate those things in the red category (some of which you likely don't eat anyhow) and then use trial and error to see what you can get away with in terms of the borderline category. It may depend on quantity and frequency. Also use trial and error with regard to any foods not listed that you would like to eat. Cost aside, you are nto going to find any testing that is fine-tuned and individualized enough to tell you much more than you already know.

OK then landlord has an obligation to repair or replace. If he seems reluctant to do so, offer to purchase a new one yourself and deduct cost from following month's rent (providing him the receipt of course -- and get this agreement in writing in some form, even if just an email exchange). In that scenario the new one would belong to landlord. I would not however get involved in trying to repair it as you could be blamed if the repair goes badly. If landlord wants to try repair have him take it or at least specify the choice of mechanic.

Since the microwave was there when you moved in, it belongs to the landlord. However unless your lease specifies a microwave (unlikely) he is not obligated to repair or replace it (with microwaves usually best to just replace). Inform the landlord that it is not working. If he fails to replace or fix it, buy one yourself but keep the landlord's one in a closet somewhere and also keep the receipt for the new one bought. When you move out, leave the landlord's microwave behind and take the one you bought with you, or sell/give it to someone since it is yours. It is sometimes helpful with landlords to offer to pay yourself and deduct from the following month's rent so might try offering that as an option as well.

Not sure I understand what you mean. Are you saying you have already been tested and - among foods you normally consume - identified a few dozen that you are allergic to? If so, then why do you need further testing? If you are referring to a list of foods people are commonly intolerant to, you do not need to worry about all of them, only those you would normally otherwise consume. (And note that lists from Thai labs are geared towards Asian food consumption and common Asian food intolerances. Both might not fit your own). A common place to start is to eliminate first all dairy and then (if dairy elimination makes no difference,) all wheat products products and see if that makes a difference in how you feel. Then try eliminating nuts, eggs, soy and seafood one by one. And so on. Once you think you have identified a category of foods that bothers you can try gradual re-introduction of some of them to try to further isolate the culprit. For example if eliminating dairy worked, try re-introducing yogurt first. Steer completely clear of processed foods throughout as these contain multiple additives, any of which might be an issue. In fact, you might start by first eliminating all processed foods if currently eating them. Then move on the eliminating dairy for a week or two etc. If you already have identified allergies should not experiment with re-introducing those foods except under medical guidance.

Frankly if it were me I'd just do trial and error via an elimination diet

I have no idea, it is the first I am hearing of this. But we do seem to get periodic reports of different things being temporaily unavailable in Pattaya. Suggest you try the various online pharmacies e.g. Medisafe (use the Messenger function, online search does nto work) https://medisafepharma.com/

Really not bothering with unless there is a big ticket among amongst these A single injection can yield several items e.g. needle/syringe, cotton ball, alcohol, bandaid etc

No idea, sorry. But the hospital billing office (or any government hospital's billing office) will have the list...in Thai, of course

Tulsa and cryo are not available in Thailand. Not sure why you'd want cryo in any event as it does not from what I have read compare favorably to other approaches and is generally reserved for cases where other treatments are for some reason contraindicated. Tulsa has so far had very good results but as it is new, long term data on outcomes is still lacking. The only place in Asia doing it so far is Japan and that just started a year or so agao. HIFU is so far only available at Samitivej Hospital as far as I know (not Siriraj). An expensive private hospital. What I have read about it does not sound too great in terms of oncological outcomes. It has not been USA FDA approved as a first line therapy and in the UK is still in clinical trials stage. Note that with any really new therapy there will be a lack of long term outcome data. Brachytherapy can be done at most large hospitals. The go-to doctor for this in Chiang Mai is Prof. Ekkasit Tharavichitkul. He can be seen at Sripat or at Bangkok Hospital. Bring all your records with you and ask him whether you are a good candidate for (1) radiation treatment in general and (2) brachytherapy in particular. as opposed to surgery https://sriphat.med.cmu.ac.th/find_doctor?lang=en&doctor_name=Assoc.Prof.Ekkasit+Tharavichaikul%2CM.D. https://www.bangkokhospital-chiangmai.com/en/doctor/dr-ekkasit-tharavichitkul-m-d/

Exactly where I would suggest. British doc and plenty of Botox and filker experience injecting both men and women. Takes her time, individualizes and goes for subtle effects. If she errs it tends to be in the direction of injecting not enough bur one can always top up. But not in the least bit classy or posh. Just a straightforward GP clinic that offers Botox/fillers/thread lifts aling with vaccinations, blood tests, and other general services. https://www.medconsultasia.com/services/botox/ Do not try to book online. Use their Line App or email.

Chemo is not a form of radiation. You are thinking if the difference between brachytherapy and wide beam radiation. Chemotherapy is not used for primary prostate cancer but is sometimes used for metastastic disease.

Have you tried Fascino?

People report being unable to get this form on request. And of those who do get it, I have yet to hear if it helping.

Dermovate is a brand name. While it ecists in Thasliland do do literally dozens of locally made brands of the same thing. It would be a rare pharmacy that did not carry at least one. Stop asking by brand name and instead ask for Clobetasol cream. And write that name down to show them as Thais have their own way of pronouncing things and might not recognize yours.

A post promoting a conspiracy theory documentary full of COVID misinformation has been removed. @david_je"only available to Thais" has never been an official government policy. Sounds like something the hospital decided on its own. Tends to happen with things in short supply, and Paxlovid supplies remain more limited than those of other drugs. No guarantee, but your odds of getting Paxlovid would be greater at the private "international" hospitals. Of course so would the cost. Having already had COVID infection once, and presumably also having been vaccinated, you will already have considerable immunity if re-infected. Do not be put off by accounts of declining antibodies, you will still have cellular immunity. COVID reinfection is significantly less likely than first COVID infection to cause severe disease https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9961977/

1. There was no "conspiracy". 2. The Denvaxia vaccine (first Dengue vaccine developed, launched around 2016) is effective in reducing dengue infections by about 80% in people who have had dengue before but only by about 50% in people who have never had dengue. Most importantly, among people who did not previously have dengue, received the vaccine and still got dengue, a higher percentage of them got a severe form of the disease. There is no clear evidence of increases deaths as a direct result (much less "10% mortality") but there were definitely more complications leading to more serious illness and hospitalization among this group. This mainly played out in the Philippines which was the first place to widely launch the vaccine. 3. Far from being "banned" or "censored" this finding was widely publicized and led to a revision of guidelines for vaccine use, limiting it to people confirmed to have had dengue in the past. One could legitimately criticize the vaccine developers for not having known of this effect sooner (i.e. before releasing the vaccine), especially since a re-analysis of the clinical trial data also found this effect. But there was no intentional conspiracy and certainly no cover-up. 4. Revised guidelines limiting the vaccine to people with a prior dengue infection were issued in 2017 and the vaccine became available in Thailand only in that same year (and even now, is not part of the standard childhood immunization schedule and has nto been widely administered) so the impact of the original failure to recognize need to limit vaccination to people who had already had dengue in Thailand was minimal. It is certainly not an explanation for population decline. This - which began circa 2020 - is directly the result of a decline in birth rate. 5. The new vaccine (Qdenga) appears to be free of this effect i.e. rates of complicated dengue/hospitalization are nto higher in those without prior history of dengue before receiving the vaccine. Qdenga has thus far been tested only on people aged 4 - 60 years so recommendation for use is limited to that group. It decreases risk of getting dengue overall only by about 60% but risk of severe dengue by about 80% (some variation by dengue serotype and prior immune status).

Hiccups can happen to anyone. In some cases they are caused by alcohol, or eating too quickly; in other cases they are due to a medical condition (something that irritates the diapraghm) and in others, there is no identifiable cause. In rare cases they can go on for days or even weeks/months and elude all home remedies. Since most hiccups spontaneously resolve it is difficult to evaluate the efficacy of thew many home remedies advocated. People try XYZ until the hiccups stop -- but maybe they would have stopped then anyhow.

A flaming post has been removed. Please keep it civil